Thoughts on 1 Kings 18:28

I have to admit that sometimes I get things backward. I catch myself changing word order, or using my left hand when I supposed to use my right. I think that I catch it most of time. The worst thing I get backward is that I am created in God’s image not the other way around. I want Him to be like me instead of letting Him change me to be more like Him.

A lot of religions have made that same mistake. The worshippers of Baal in ancient Israel were no different. A prophet of Yahweh (God) challenged the prophets of Baal to a show down. During a drought that had already lasted 3 years the prophets asked Baal and Yahweh to start a fire. The 450 prophets of Baal did everything they could think of to get Baal to show up. That even included cutting themselves until their blood flowed from their veins.

You see, they thought that if they cut themselves and got Baal’s attention, he might do something similar and fire would flow from the world of the gods and consume the offering. It didn’t work for two reasons. 1. Baal is a false god. 2. They did not understand the relationship between the divine and the rest of us.

The Bible teaches us that there is only one God and He is the Lord of the universe. He made man uniquely in His own image. Worshippers of false gods have made their gods in their own images and out of their own desires. What kind of god is that?

The Christian journey is about letting God change us into something that is more like Him. That includes all aspects of our lives: our actions, thoughts, feelings, desires and everything else that is in us.

Grace and Justification

I have been thinking a lot about the message of the Church lately especially the movement called the Emerging Church.  The message seems to be lacking. I hope I am wrong. (I don't say that often!)  I have been watching many of the movements leaders and I have to say that they are preaching a message of grace, and that is good.  What is not good is they are so consumed with grace that they are distorting the message of Jesus and the Bible.

The full message needs to be one of Justification.  Grace is only a piece of the puzzle.  God's grace towards us allows for our justification and thus our salvation.

I wonder if the message of justification is just too big to package in to the movement or if those people who are proclaiming a grace only message have been so hurt by the past's turn or burn messages that they cannot see the rest of the picture because of their own pain.

I think that the Emerging Church has a lot to offer when it comes to how we do church (especially those of us in the low liturgical evangelical world), and how we treat those outside the Church.  However, Jesus tells us time and time again to repent and sin no more.   His grace is sufficient for me, but Paul reminds us in Romans 6:1 that we are not to continue sinning in order that grace may increase.  James writes that in Chapter 2 that a faith that does not result in actions is a dead faith.